49ers’ Malcolm Smith enduring another painful season

A year after he was sidelined for an entire season with an injury, 49ers inside linebacker Malcolm Smith has played this season through a different injury.

On Thursday, Smith discussed the tendinitis in his lower leg that’s plagued him throughout this season. It’s the reason he opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list and why he exited last week’s 27-9 loss at Tampa Bay after playing just 26 of 73 snaps.

“I actually had an incident in the summertime and it just never really got better,” Smith said. “It takes a while. Until I get some months off it will probably be an issue.”

Smith, who missed 2017 with a torn pectoral, has played in nine straight games since missing the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury.

He was moved to outside linebacker when his Week 3 return coincided with Reuben Foster’s return from a two-game suspension. Smith, 29, returned to inside linebacker when Foster was out for two games with a hamstring injury, and he’ll likely remain alongside rookie Fred Warner for the rest of the season given Foster’s release Sunday.

As for 2019, Smith could be an option to start with Warner, but his $3.75 million base salary isn’t guaranteed, which could be a factor in tyhe 49ers’ decison-making. This season, Smith has 27 tackles and a pass breakup while playing 37 percent of the defensive snaps.

In the offseason, he hopes to have some relief from the chronic pain he’s endured this season.

“I hope so,” Smith said. “I’m praying for those days to be able to really run again. It’s been a challenge.”